How To Guarantee Affordable Housing For Young Adults

By Anna Fox


Most people are unable to meet their basic need of having shelter. This can be attributed to several reasons, including low-income levels and joblessness. Responsible authorities are thus expected to formulate measures to manage this challenge; for example, by providing houses that those who are just out of college can afford. However, achieving the goals of providing affordable housing for young adults is a complicated issue which should be analyzed in various economic terms. The guidelines below can be used to guide such a project.

Choose cost-effective designs. Designers should come up with flexible plans that can accommodate the various needs of youths while at the same time, minimize the overall cost of constructing such houses. For example, one can come up with rooms that are proportional to the number of occupants. Similarly, the process should consider adopting cost-effective measures such as large-scale constructions to benefit from economies of scale.

Employ sustainable strategies. These are policies aiming at reducing construction costs so that the resulting renting expenses are as low as possible. This may include giving priority to local resources such as building materials and labor force. If the cost of rent is low, most low-income people would be able to afford a place to live in.

Consider establishing an environment of social diversity. Residentials holding people with various income levels can generate an efficient economic diversity region. This will create work opportunities that can boost the earnings of young adults. This way, establishing low-cost homes can be achieved without significant challenges. Cases of isolation of places due to their economic status are minimized too.

Additionally, favorable transition systems should be enacted in such places. This is where individuals can shift from homelessness to owning or renting a home more comfortably without being discriminated due to their economic status. Growing families should also be ensured of their ability to meet shelter requirements. For example, they can be given rent-to-own options and the freedom to extend their homes to accommodate more people as the family grows.

Companies should be encouraged to provide housing allowance for their junior employees. This is particularly beneficial to youths who are yet to establish their financial statuses. Most companies only provide housing for senior employees, leaving the junior ones struggling to survive. Hence, if they can be given allowances, more people will have a chance to attain financial stability and later find suitable homes.

Houses can also be constructed with some shared facilities. Building such homes can significantly reduce rental expenses when users share certain standard utilities. However, each one of them still gets to enjoy the advantage of his or her privacy. This can reduce the cost of construction and maintenance, and sequentially, the rent.

Establishment of public house facilities. The federal government may opt to develop publicly owned residentials, which would then be managed by local authorities. Rent offered from such homes is usually calculated from a percentage of the resident's income. Therefore, even low-income youths can still afford to live in such places because the rent is proportional to one's financial ability.




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